Song 11: There Was a Monkey

Song 11: There was a monkey

[A] Learning about the music

Topics to consider for this song:

·  [Link] Stretching a motif

·  [Link] Bitonality

Stretching a motif

This song has a very straightforward melody which is essentially the same (but for the occasional tweak in the rhythm to suit particular words) for each of the song’s nine verses. Given that each verse comprises only a single rhyming couplet, this is not a complicated melody; Britten, however, makes it all the more instantly memorable by the contour he created for the tune.

The first line of the verse has an upbeat (which is required by the natural stress of the words (‘There was a _ _ _ _ ‘) and then has the same three-note motif twice. This is made from a rising 4th and a falling step: G–C–B.

This motif then gets altered to start the second line of the verse. Where originally Britten has a rising 4th, this leap is now stretched to make it a rising major 6th (G–E). From this point Britten can just multiply the falling steps as there is just the right number of notes needed to bring the melody down to its tonic by the end of the line:

Stretching a motif in this way is an effective way of developing the mood of the music, whilst maintaining a close and audible connection. In this case the wide 6th enhances the confident, bright mood of the melody whilst building on the shape we have already heard (or sung) twice.

A famous example of this can be found in the opening movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Here the opening motif (possibly the most famous four notes in music) comprises a falling minor 3rd:

The minor 3rd helps to make this opening dark and menacing. Later, however, when the customs of sonata form invite Beethoven to present a second subject, he stretches this minor 3rd and converts it into a perfect 5th for the horns to play…

…and the result is a much sunnier and happy moment, the relative major key also making a significant impact at this point.

Bitonality

The melody Britten composed for this song is heard ten times in all: once on the piano to form an introduction, and then sung for all nine verses. This tune is both short and simple; it was therefore important for Britten to make the piano accompaniment more varied and more elaborate. You might care to prove the point by accompanying the whole song with the accompaniment for verse 1!

Early verses are varied primarily through rhythmic means. Gradually the note values that are used in the accompaniment shorten:

·  Verse 1: crotchets

·  Verse 2: quavers

·  Verse 3: triplet quavers

·  Verse 4: semiquavers

By this point, Britten needs a different way to create variety. With the singers confidently repeating the same tune verse to verse, he dares to explore some bitonal options: having two keys in use simultaneously.

In verse 5, whilst the tune continues in G major, the accompaniment is mostly in Eb major with chords of Bb and Eb.

During verse 6 the piano plays a four-octave rising scale of Ab major, seemingly oblivious to the singers resolutely in G major.

Then in verse 7 the piano tries F# major as another bitonal juxtaposition for the vocal tune.

Using two keys at the same time is not a straightforward thing to do. Clearly there are going to be harmonic clashes the whole time, and the composer has to have a keen ear to use that potential to good and consistent effect. There is, however, one effect that is simpler to achieve and which is sure to make a strong impact: the return to a single key and the clarity that this will bring. In ‘There was a monkey’, Britten saves this for the final verse.

Another piece that uses a similar technique to spectacular effect is Stravinsky’s Firebird ballet and the end of its ‘Final Hymn’. As the strings maintain a tonic B, Stravinsky has the brass play a selection of competing chords – C major, C# major, and F major – before the resounding final chord where all agree on B major.

[A] Composing projects

There are two composing projects for this song:

·  [Link] Punctuating figure

·  [Link] Animal music

Punctuating figure

In ‘There was a monkey’ it is not only the vocal melody that is heard many times. Although the piano accompaniment to each verse is very different, between each verse the piano has the same bar: a three-note figure that is actually a repeat of the final bar of the verse melody:

So much good composing comes down to creating a sense of expectation in the listener and then fulfilling it so that the listener feels they have understood the music. Hence a dominant seventh chord is usually followed by its related tonic chord. Of course, having gained the listener’s trust in this fashion, the composer can then (but only then) delight the listener further by choosing a suitable occasion to do something unexpected.

An important level at which to create this process is structure. There is no simpler way to achieve a clear sense of structure than to have a short musical ‘fingerprint’ that is heard at regular intervals. The audience will soon come to expect it; and then one can use this expectation to surprise them. Tricks that might work as a ‘surprise’ include:

·  An unexpected dynamic

·  An unexpected register

·  Playing the ‘fingerprint’ sooner than expected

·  Playing the ‘fingerprint’ later than expected

·  Halving the note values (rhythmic diminution)

·  Doubling the note values (rhythmic augmentation)

In all instances the ‘fingerprint’ needs to keep its sense of identity so it can be recognised.

Ask your pupils to compose a piece that utilises a ‘punctuating figure’ as structural basis. Points to bear in mind include:

·  The punctuating figure should be only one bar long and simple in nature; it can help if it contrasts in rhythm and/or texture from the remainder of the musical substance so that it quickly stands out as something of significance

·  This figure should appear at regular, short intervals until its occurrence becomes anticipated by the listener; then one can start to adapt it to create surprise and humour

·  The rest of the piece can be composed in a more free spirit; choice of key, metre, instrumentation, etc. can be left to each pupil

Here is an example:

Animal music

This song starts with a monkey, before moving on to all manner of other things in the course of its nine short verses.

Some of your pupils might like to write a short piece that depicts an animal of their choosing. In fact, a whole class might produce a zoo-full of animal pieces!

Careful consideration should be given to choosing the animal. Among the questions to ask about it include:

·  Is it large or small, heavy or light?

·  Does it tend to move slowly or quickly?

·  Is it known for being fierce or friendly?

·  Does it make a well-known noise?

Factors such as these should have a bearing on musical issues such as tempo, register and dynamic. For further inspiration you might like to direct pupils to Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals.